The present invention relates to a multi-directional input apparatus for inputting various signals by operating an operating member which is operated in arbitrary circumferential direction.
A multi-directional input apparatus of this type called joystick comprises a case secured on a board, a set of upper and lower turning members having long holes each extending in a direction perpendicular to the turning direction, an operating member passing through the long holes of the set of upper and lower turning members for turning the turning members by operating the operating member in an arbitrary circumferential direction, a spring compressed and accommodated in the case for resiliently holding the operating member in its neutral position, and a set of signal output means for outputting a signal corresponding to the turning angle of each the turning member.
As the set of signal output means, a volume such as an electric sensor, a magnetic sensor, optical sensor or the like is used, and the volume is relatively commonly used in terms of costs and the like. Multi-directional input apparatuses using the volume as the set of signal output means are described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. S61-198286, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. H6-43963, and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. H7-27608.
Some of this kind of multi-directional input apparatuses have operating members which can vertically move, and the pushdown switches are operated by pushing down operation of the operating members. The multi-directional input apparatus having such a pushdown switch is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-283885. In the multi-directional input apparatus having the pushdown switch described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-283885, the pushdown switch comprises a pushdown member provided below the operating member, ad a switch body provided below the pushdown member on a bottom plate of a case.
In the multi-directional input apparatus having the pushdown switch described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-283885, however, the pushdown switch is accommodated in the case including the switch body. Therefore, when the multi-directional input apparatus is mounted, it is necessary to solder the switch body in the apparatus to a print circuit on the board.
Further, in a general multi-directional input apparatus having the pushdown switch, a normal pushdown switch unit is used as the pushdown switch. The normal pushdown switch unit comprises six members, i.e., a frame, a body, a terminal, a key top, a snap plate and a cover. Therefore, the pushdown switch becomes expensive, and this increases the manufacturing cost of the multi-directional input apparatus.
Further, the volume used as the one set of signal output means has the following problems.
That is, although the volume is inexpensive as compared with other signal output means, the volume requires a large number of parts (usually five parts), a rate of cost occupied by the volume in the multi-directional input apparatus is still high. Further, since it is necessary to use solder between the multi-directional input apparatus and a board onto which the multi-directional input apparatus is mounted, this increases the manufacturing cost of equipment which uses the multi-directional input apparatus.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of these circumstances, and it is a first object of the present invention to provide a multi-directional input apparatus in which although the pushdown switch is provided, the switch can easily be mounted to the board without soldering.
It is a second object of the invention to provide a multi-directional input apparatus having a small number of parts constituting the pushdown switch.
It is a third object of the invention to provide a multi-directional input apparatus in which the number of parts of signal output means is small, and it is unnecessary to solder the signal output means to the board.
To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a multi-directional input apparatus comprising a case secured on a board; a set of upper and lower turning members supported in the case such that the turning members can turn into two intersecting directions and each having a long hole extending in a direction perpendicular to the turning direction; an operating member which can be pushed down and which passes through each of the long holes of the set of upper and lower turning members, the operating member turning each of the turning members when the operating member is operated in arbitrary direction therearound; a holding mechanism for resiliently holding the operating member and/or the turning members at a neutral position; a set of signal output means for outputting signal corresponding to a turning angle of each of the turning members; and a pushdown switch which is switched when the operating member is pushed down; wherein the pushdown switch comprises a combination of a key top which is vertically movably provided below the operating member such as to pass through a bottom plate of the case, and a switch body which is located below the key top and mounted on the board, and which is operated when the operating member is pushed down and the key top is moved down.
In such a multi-directional input apparatus, the operating member passes through the bottom plate of the case, if the operating member is pushed down, the key top is moved down, thereby operating the switch body on the board. Therefore, when the multi-directional input apparatus is mounted, it is unnecessary to solder the switch to the board.
In the other multi-directional input apparatus of the invention, the switch body comprises a combination of a stationary contact formed on the board and a domical movable contact piece which can be resiliently deformed and secured on the stationary contact. With this structure, the number of parts constituting the switch body can largely be reduced.
According to another multi-directional input apparatus of the invention, the movable contact piece is secured on the stationary contact by pasting a resin sheet on the board from above the movable contact piece. With this structure, it is easy to assemble the switch body on the board.
According to another multi-directional input apparatus of the invention, the signal output means is constituted such that gears are mounted to one ends of the set of upper and lower turning members, straight-ahead sliders capable of moving along two side surfaces of the case and the board are mounted below the gears, teeth meshing with the gears are provided on upper surfaces of the straight-ahead sliders, and the contacts which can slide to come into contact with resistance circuits to constitute volumes together with the resistance circuits are mounted on lower surfaces of the straight-ahead sliders.
With this structure, when the operating member is operated and the turning members are turned, the gears provided on the one ends of the turning members are rotated. With the rotation, the straight-ahead sliders are moved and the contacts slide on the resistance circuits formed on the surface of the board, and the function as a volume can be obtained.
Since the resistance circuits are provided on the side of the board, the number of signal output means is also reduced, and it is unnecessary to solder the resistance circuit to the board. Especially, the accommodating portion for accommodating the straight-ahead slider can be integrally formed on the case. The gear can also be integrally formed on the case. By forming these members integrally into the multi-directional input apparatus, the number of parts constituting the volume can be reduced into two, i.e., the straight-ahead slider and the contact.
The accommodating portion for accommodating the straight-ahead slider may be separately mounted to the case, but it is preferable to integrally form the accommodating portion on the side surface of the case to reduce the number of parts.
A fan-like member having an arc surface formed with teeth is preferable as the gear because the apparatus can be made small. It is preferable that it is integrally formed on the end of the turning member because the number of parts is reduced.
The basic structure of the multi-directional input apparatus is not limited. For example, the holding mechanism for resiliently holding the operating member at the neutral position may directly hold the operating member at the neutral position, or may indirectly hold the set of upper and lower operating members at the neutral position using spring, or may directly hold both the operating members at the neutral position. The spring may be disposed on either upper or lower one of the sets of the upper and lower turning members.
Preferable signal output means is a slide type volume-integral means employed for the multi-directional input apparatus according to claim 4 because the number of parts can be reduced, and the assembling operation is simplified. A signal output means having a general variable resistance unit may be used, and other means such as a magnetic type means or optical type means may also be used of course.